Henry baldwin



.gaine tutes battiti @frn Letters Patent No. 75,238, dated Mirra-lz 10, 1868.

APPARATUS FOR BURNING GRUDE PETROLEUM.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it know-n that I, HENRY BALDWIN, of the city of Titusville, county of Crawford, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and improved Apparatus for Burning Crude Petroleum andothcrli'luid Hydrocarbons as Fuel; audI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, refer- -ence being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part pf this specification, and in which similar letters represent similar parts in allv the views.

Many attempts have been made during the past ten or twelve months to obtain a perfect combustion of crude petroleum and its products, as a substitute for coal and wood, by first vaporizing' the fluid, either in a close. `heated vessel or pipe, or by impinging it upon a piece ofheaied metal, usually termed a heater, placed within the fire-box for that purpose, at the same time supplying the required amount of oxygen to assist in combustion. So far as my observation has. extended, Ano one has succeeded in so arranging theapparatus that a. sulieientdeiavree of permanent lient can be imparted to the heater to perfectly vaporize the hydrocarbon; consequently from twenty-ve to seventy-live per cent. of the fuel is wasted. The same diiiiculties exist, to a greater or less extent, in eases where the oil is vaporized in a close heated vessel or pipe.

When the petroleum is'burnedin an erdinsry-coaire box, 'as in the case bf a poii'tabl'e boiler, tho usual and simplest method is'to place a piece of cast metal upon the grates, at any convenient point within the firebox, upon which the fuel is impinged, accompanied by a jet of steam or air. Although the general principle 'of this method is correct, it has not been reduced tosuc'h practical form as to obtain satisfactory results, for

' the reasons above stated.

The principaliobject of'my invention is to provide such an apparatus that when the fuel is vaporized by contact with a. heated surface or heater, of any form, and oxygen properly supplied, the flame and heat arising therefrom maybe carried around under the heater and directed against a point on the reverse side of the heater, opposite the point upon which the fuel is impinged, while at the same time the intensity of the heat thus imparted to the heater can be varied at pleasure without detracting from the omo'unt of heat available for" other purposes.l In the accompanying drawings- Figure'l represents a perspective View of my apparatus.

Figure 2 is a top view or plan; and

"" Figure 3, avertical section on line A B. l

Forv the purpose of convenient illustratioml have represented a portable apparatus, which can be set upon the'grates of any ordinary {ire-box.

arepresents the piece of metal usually termed a. heater, upon` which the jet of hydrocarbon is impingcd; b is the hydrocarbon or fuel-supply pipe, passing through and having its discharge-ermee concentric with and just optsidc of the end of the oxygen-blast pipe e. d is a steam-pipe, having its discharge-orifice within thc oxygen-pipe c and underneath the fuel-pipe b. The liquid fuel is injected through tho pipe 6, and oxygen,

either in the form of steam or nir, or both, is forced through the oxygeirblast pipe c, and united with the vapors of the'fuelwheuin their n'aseentstate. The discharge-orifice of the oxygen-pipe being around and concentric with the fuel-pipe, distributes the oxygen more perfectly, and the dischargeorificc of the fuel-pipe is carried outside ofthe oxygen-pipe, so that no drippings shall in any event fall into the latter. The steam-pipe serves two purposes: By injecting a. small quantity of steam u. partial vacuum is formed within the oxygen-pipe, thus creatif/lg an artificial draught, while, by placing it underneath the `fuel-pipe, the jet of steam will strike and carry forward any drippings from the orifice of the latter.

I'have only represented one set of pipes, but they can be duplicated to impinge any desired number of Afuel-jets upon the heater. t t i i In order-to prevent the counter and conilictingdraughts usually caused by the llame confined within the {ire-box from interfering with the proper combination of the hydrocarbon vapors with'tbe oxygen previous to their complete ignition, I surrouudtho orifices of these pipes, and also a portion of the heatera, with the jacket e, which may be attached to the heater or to any convenient part of the apparatus, thus forming a partial chamber,withiu which the process of oxygenation is completed previous to ignition.

Having thus arranged for the introduction and oxygenation of the hydrocarbon, it becomes necessary to provide some means for imparting the necessary degree of permanent heat to the heater a, and for keeping up the requisiteheat under lall circumstances, so as to completely resolve the Huid immediately nponeontact. In ordr'to do this without detracting materially from the heat made available for other purposes, I proviclea reector,f, made of such form, and placed in such a position with relation tothe surface of the heater, theta portion ofthe flame and heat is deflected by the concave surfacemf thc reflectorf, and carried around and under the heater. In most cases'I also providea supplementary 'reflector or trough, g, which may be made adjustable or 'exible, so that the greatest heat may be concentrated upon any point on the reverse side of the heater opposite to the point uponwhich the fuel is impinged. I' also insert a small oxygen blow-pipe, la, through the rear portion of the reilectorf, so arranged with relation to the reilectorsfand that a stream off air or steam,' super heated, if desirable, may be introduced, and a hot blast directed upon any desired point of the heaters By these arrangements I can fully counteract the cooling influence of the fresh supplies offueland oxygen mpinged upon the upper surface of theheater, and obtain the desired result, viz. the constant and complete vaporization of the hydrocarbon immediately upon contact with the' heater. l These reflectors in a portable apparatusrshould be made of metal, but in many cases they may be made of {ire-bricks or clay, or other similar material. VThey are of the greatest importance ineffecting the complete resolution of the fuel, and are equally applicable to cases wher-.ea closeheated vessel -or pipe is used in place of' the heater illustrated. The reflectors fand g-may be made togetherV or in one piece of metal-,but I prefer, for convenience, to make them separate, and adjustable with relation to each other and to the heater. They may be made of-any suitable form to reflect the flame and heataround and against the heated surface, to accomplish the purposes substantially as above set forth.

I do not claim to have invented the broad principle or method 'of resolving and consuming luid hydrocarbone by impinging jets of the same upon axheated surface, as that arrangement is but the application o. a simple and well-known chemical principle, and has beeniin use in many' localities for a. long time, and is the property of the public; neither do I claim broadly theV manner of injecting the ilud hydrocarbon and oxygen by two concentric pipes; but

What I claim as my specific invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. I claim the jacket e, as arranged to surround the supply-pipes and a portion ofthe heate r,'and used in combination with the same, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. I claim the reilectorf, as arranged with relation to the heater, when used in conjunction with the same, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. v

3. I claim the supplementary'rellector g and blow-pipe h, as arranged with relation to the relectorfand heater a, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Dated at Titusville, Pennsylvania, this second day of July, A. D. 1867.

' HENRY BALDWIN.

Witnesses: l

ANDREW B. HOWLAND, Jessen J. HOLDEN. 

